Handful of Hope
by allie713
Summary: Derek and Spencer are happily married, when they make a big decision. The decision to adopt a child. This is the story of their journey to make their family complete.
1. Chapter 1

Derek and Spencer stood in their backyard, watching as their team hung out. Some were lounging in chairs and drinking a beer, some were in the pool and splashing each other.

Derek looked over at Spencer who was talking to JJ and smiled. They had invited the team over, saying that there was something they wanted to share. They all agreed after being assured that it was good news.

Watching as Hotch chased after Jack, and Will play with Henry in the pool, Derek knew that they'd made the right decision. He walked over to Spence and JJ and wrapped his arm around Spencer's waist.

Spencer turned to Derek and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey. I think it's about time."

Spencer nodded, thinking about the news that they were about to share. It was an important decision, and he knew that he and Derek would feel better doing this with the support of their team. Over the years, their team had become like a family. There was no way they could do this without them.

"Okay, everybody. Gather 'round." The team plus Will and the children came over to where Spencer ans Derek were.

Derek took a deep breath and said, "As you all know, Spencer and I have been married for just over a year now, and we've never been happier. So we've been talking lately and we've made a decision." He looked to Spencer, giving him the floor.

"Derek and I have decided that we're going to adopt a child."

There was stunned kind of silence until Garcia shouted, "Oh My God! Congratulations!"

She rushed over to hug them, which started everybody patting their backs and congratulating them.

"Have you been looking at children?" Hotch asked.

Spencer shook his head. "Not yet. Tomorrow, we're meeting with a woman from the adoption agency. She'll visit our home to make sure it's a good environment for a child, then if we pass that test, then we can start looking for a child."

Derek spoke up. "We're meeting her for lunch tomorrow before bringing her back here. We were hoping that maybe you and JJ could meet us here tomorrow and be our references. We thought you two would be the best choices since you guys have kids."

Hotch and JJ both nodded their heads. "Definitely," JJ said. Hotch agreed.

Derek and Spencer smiled in relief. If tomorrow went well, then hopefully this could actually happen.

Spencer and Derek sat in a booth at the local diner, waiting for Ms. Nelson, the woman from the adoption agency.

Spencer's leg was bouncing from nerves. Derek laid his hand on Spence's knee. "Hey, calm down. Everything will work out, okay?"

Spencer took a deep breath and nodded, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Derek's lips. "Alright."

"Are you two Derek and Spencer?" a voice asked.

They looked up and a woman was standing next to their table. She looked to be in her late thirties maybe.

Spencer, who sitting on the outside, stood up and help out his hand. "Yes. I'm Spencer."

She smiled. "Hello. My name is Clara Nelson from the Handful Of Hope Adoption Agency. I'm assuming you're Derek?"

Derek stood and shook her hand as well. "Yes, hello. Thank you for meeting with us."

"Not a problem."

A waitress came over and took our orders.

"So, how long have you two been thinking about adopting?"

"Four months, two weeks, six days, and sixteen hours," Spencer answered.

She raised her eyebrows at him while Derek just grinned. "Alright, well have you two spent a lot of time around children?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah. A few of our friends have kids, and when my family comes to visit we spend a lot of time with my neice and nephew."

"Good, so you know that raising a child is a lot of work."

We both nodded. "What about references?"

"Aaron Hotchner and Jennifer Jureau, our friends who have children, are our references. Would it be okay if they met us at the house? That way you could get a better understanding of who we are from them."

She nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

As they ate, wlthey answered questions and told her about themselves. When the men were finished, she followed them to their house.

Hotch and JJ were already waiting outside. After introductions, everybody headed into the living room.

Once they all got comfortable, Ms. Nelson turned to Hotch and JJ. "So how long have you two known Derek and Spencer?"

Hotch said, "I've known Spencer and Derek for seven or eight years, since we all started working together."

Ms. Nelson looked at JJ. "And you?"

Smiling politely, JJ said, "I met Derek and Spencer when I became the media liaison for our team. It's been about six and a half years I would say."

Ms. Nelson nodded and started writing on a little note pad that she had pulled out of her purse. "Okay. What is the relationship between the members of your team?"

JJ answered. "We're like a family. Spencer is the godfather of my son, Henry. We're all like brothers and sisters."

"And how do Derek and Spencer interact with your guys' kids?"

"They're great. My son loves staying the night here. They get along perfectly," Aaron said.

Ms. Nelson smiled. "That's good." She asked Aaron and JJ more questions. When she was satisfied with that, she turned to Spencer and Derek. "I think now would he a good time to take a tour of the house."

Spencer nodded and turned toward their friends. "Were you guys heading home, or did you want to hang out here for a while?"

"I think we're gonna head home. Thanks though."

They all exchanged goodbyes and just before they left, JJ said, "Pen said that she'd call later."

When it was just the three of them, they showed her around.

First, they went around the first floor. There wasn't much, as the bedrooms were upstairs. That's where they headed next. The first bedroom they entered was theirs.

After that was the bedroom next to theirs, which would be the child's room should they pass the examination. She seemed to like that they would put the child in the room closest to their bedroom. The other room was a guest bedroom that was empty except for furniture.

When they finished the tour, they all went back down to the living room.

She wrote a few things down in her notepad and the two men waited nervously.

She finally looked at them. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a great place for a child to grow up. From what I heard from your friends, you guys have a good support system. Friends and family you can count on."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean...?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes. You guys can proceed with the adoption. I have seen nothing in this house that could he hazardous to a child. I think you guys would be a great fit."

Derek and Spencer smiled in relief. They pulled each other into a tight hug. When they pulled apart, Ms. Nelson dismissed herself and after goodbyes, she left.

Derek looked at Spencer. "We did it Pretty Boy."

"We did."

They spent their afternoon thinking about how their lives were about to change, and they couldn't be happier.

Hours later, Derek's phone rang. He answered, "Hey, Baby Girl."

"Hey Sweetcheeks. How'd it go?"

Derek grinned. "It went good. It went really good."

"Does that mean that you and Junior G-man are having a baby?"

Derek laughed, as did Spencer who could hear Penelope. "If by that you mean that we can continue with the adoption, then yes."

"Yes! Oh my god, that's going to adorable. And now I have another person to spoil."

"Try not to go too overboard."

"No promises. So when do you get to decide on the kid?" she asked.

"Tomorrow after work, Spencer and I are going to the adoption agency and pick up some files of kids. Then we narrow that down to two or three, then we can meet those kids."

"Alright, well good luck. I have to go. Us girls are having a girls' night."

"Okay, have fun Baby Girl."

"You know it Baby Boy."

Derek hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket. It wasn't very late, but it had been a busy day and he was tired. Looking at his husband, he saw Spencer rubbing his eyes, trying to hold back a yawn.

Derek reached over and ran his fingers through Spencer's hair.

Spencer groaned and leaned into Derek's hand. He loved that. It was so relaxing. "Ready for bed honey?" Derek asked him.

Spencer nodded. "Yeah."

Together they headed up to their bedroom. Spencer shut the door behind him and took off his shirt. He slid off his jeans and pulled on his plaid pajama bottoms.

Derek stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. Spencer followed and pulled the comforter over them. They scooted together until they were comfortable.

"Goodnight," Spencer said.

"Night," relied Derek. Within minutes they were both asleep.

* * *

A/N: Hey :) This is a story I started last year and posted on AO3. I'm transferring it over, making changes and such as I go. I have nine chapters finished so it won't be long at all between updates. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think so far! Thank you :)


	2. Chapter 2

Work was slow. They had no case, which was a good thing. They really did not want to have to leave town before they got a chance to stop by the adoption agency to pick up the files.

Around three o'clock Spencer sighed and set down his pen. He rubbed the heel of his hand into his eyes, trying to keep alert. He and Derek had nearly been late this morning. Derek had set an alarm on his phone, but he's forgotten to turn on the volume.

So, Spencer had only had one cup of coffee this morning, plus two more throughout the day. Not nearly enough. Knowing that he was about to fall asleep at his desk, Spencer stood up and headed to the coffee machine.

He thanked whoever was listening that somebody had recently made a fresh pot.

As he poured himself a cup and added the necessary amount of sugar, he heard somebody enter the break room. Turning around, he saw JJ. He smiled at her and took a sip of his drink.

"Hey Spence," she said and poured herself a mug of the coffee.

"Hey JJ."

"Did the home inspection go well?" she asked.

Spencer nodded. "Yes, it went great. Derek and I are going today to pick up some files of children we can adopt."

JJ smiled and laid a hand on his shoulder. "That's awesome. I'm happy for you guys."

Spencer smiled and could feel a slight blush creep on his face. "Thanks Jayje."

She nodded and squeezed his shoulder before heading back to her desk. Spencer drank the rest of his coffee and refilled his cup. He walked back to his desk and sat down, focusing on trying to finish his paperwork quickly.

It didn't take him long and when he was done he leaned back and stretched. He looked over to where Derek was sitting and the other man looked up a few seconds later. He saw Spencer looking at him and winked. "You done already?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah. How many folders do you have left?"

Derek looked down. "Just two. When I finish we can probably leave, I don't think Hotch would mind. We've got nothing else to do."

Spencer nodded. Normally, Spencer would offer to help Derek finish his work, but lately, Derek had been slipping a few of his files into Spencer's stack without the younger man noticing. So Spencer figured that Derek could manage it on his own this time.

A short while later, Derek tossed his pen down and looked at his husband. "I'm all done. Want me to go ask Hotch if we can take off?"

Spencer nodded and watched as Derek walked up to Hotch's office. He returned a minute later and nodded at Spencer. "He said we can go, just as long as we keep our cell phones on us."

The two men said their goodbyes and headed out to car. Spencer fiddled with the radio stations as they drove, not really finding anything. He finally just stopped on a hard rock station since he knew that that was Derek's favorite. And to be honest, Spencer didn't mind it much.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up in front of the adoption agency. When they walked in the went over to the woman at the desk. She smiled and said, "Hi. How can I help you?"

Derek said, "Hi. I'm Derek Morgan and this is my husband, Spencer. We were supposed to pick up some files from Clara Nelson."

The young woman nodded. " Ms. Nelson had to go to a meeting, so she left these here to give to you. Can I just see your ID please?" Derek nodded and pulled out his ID, showing it to the woman. She grabbed a stack of manila folders and handed them to Derek.

"Thank you," Spencer said.

She smiled. "You're welcome."

They went back to the car and Spencer held the files on his lap as they drove home. There were thirteen folders.

Once they were inside, Spencer set the files down on the coffee table and sat on the couch. Derek sat next to him and put his arm around Spencer's shoulders. Spencer scooted closer and leaned his head on Derek's shoulder.

They both stared at the stack of files until Spencer said, "Are you ready?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah. It's just weird. We've talked about, but now it's finally happening."

"I know what you mean."

Spencer leaned forward and grabbed the pile, setting it next to him on the couch. He grabbed the first one and put it where they both could see it. He took a deep breath and opened it.

Inside was a picture of a girl around twelve years old. "Amelia. She's been in foster care for three years," Derek read aloud.

Spencer spoke up. "I think we should look for a young child. Older foster children tend to have a distrust of adults. While trying to get to know them, we may be gone sometimes, which wouldn't help them to trust us."

Derek nodded. "Alright Baby Boy. So, what? Below five?"

"I'd say that's a good age."

They looked through the files and focused solely on the ages. There were only four children below the age of five.

The first on they looked at was a little boy named Jamie. He was four years old. They read through his information and thought that he seemed like a good kid. The file said that he was a pretty out-going child who liked to play soccer. His favorite food was hot dogs. They set his file on the table.

Next was little Jessica. She was two and a half, almost three. They immediately decided not to choose her. Her file said that she hated to be around men, due to abuse by the hands of her father and other men her father brought around. They put her file in a separate file.

Then there was Bennett. He was three and a half years old. According to the papers, he was a bit shy. His favorite things to do were read and watch cartoons. He'd been in foster care since birth. They set his file down with Jamie's.

The fourth one was another young boy. His name was Gabriel and he was four years old. He also didn't do well with new people. When he met prospective parents, he got nervous and would cry. Derek and Spencer felt bad for him, but they wouldn't be able to take him. With the team plus Derek's family, there would be a lot of unfamiliar people.

Not that they had it narrowed down to a couple of children, they had to call Ms. Nelson tomorrow morning to see when they could meet the kids.

The two men were tired so they had a quick dinner and laid in bed, watching television until they fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Spencer called Ms. Nelson an hour after they got to work on Wednesday. He informed her about their decision to meet with Jamie and Bennett.

"Those are good choices. Do you think you guys will be available this weekend? Say, Saturday?"

"Umm, we should be. As far as I know, we'll be in town."

She said, "Great. Well, you guys can come in on Saturday, around 11:00. Does that sound okay?"

Spencer looked at Derek who nodded. "Yes, that sounds fine."

"Good. I'll see you guys then."

Spencer hung up the phone and turned to Derek. "Did you hear all of that?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah. Saturday sounds perfect."

"Yep. But now we have to wait three while days until then."

Derek clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "It'll be Saturday before you know it."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

Derek was wrong. He was so wrong, and Spencer had absolutely no qualms about letting him know. The rest of the week had passed by so slowly that Spencer was slowly going out of his mind.

And when Friday evening did arrive, all he wanted to do was go home and lay on the couch and cuddle with his husband. Those plans were ruined, however, when Garcia met them as they walked out of the bullpen.

"Hello, my favorite lovebirds."

"Hey Baby Girl. What're you up to?"

"The rest of us are all heading to the bar for dinner and drinks. You guys in?"

Derek looked at Spencer, and could tell how tired he was. "I don't know. It's getting late, and we've got a busy day tomorrow..."

She pulled out her pouty face. "Please? Just for a little while?"

Derek hesitated. He was surprised when he heard Spencer say, "Sure. We'll see you guys there."

"Damn right you will. Now, hurry your cute little butts up. We've got a table reserved for us, and Jayje and I are heading on over right now."

They watched as she left and Derek turned to his husband. "You sure you wanna go?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah." He sighed.

Derek grabbed the other man's hand and laced their fingers together. He realized that they weren't in the most private place, so he quickly led them outside and to their car. Once inside, Derek said, "What's up, Pretty Boy?"

"It's just... after tomorrow, our lives are changing and I just want some semblance of normalcy. You know?"

Derek nodded and looked out the window. "I do. And you're right. Let's go out, watch the girls get plastered and try to dance... It'll be fun."

Spencer grinned. "We're not allowed to get drunk. I don't want us to be hung over the first tome we meet our child."

Derek laughed and grabbed Spencer's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Deal."

Spencer would acknowledge that Derek was right this time. They did have fun. JJ, Emily, and Garcia did indeed get plastered. The men watched as they got giggly, trying to out-dance each other.

Spencer found it particularly hilarious when Prentiss focused her drunken attention on Hotch. Aaron turned down her invite to come dance, but Spencer could see the small smile on their boss's lips.

They stayed at the bar until Garcia and JJ could no longer make it to bathroom without assistance. Derek and Spencer offered to drive the three women home since they were all going to crash at Garcia's, which was only a few minutes from their house.

They all exchanged hugs and said their goodbyes. "I want you three to drink plenty of water and take some aspirin. I can't have half my team hung over if we get called in," Hotch said, but not unkindly. Frankly, he thought their alcohol-induced antics were amusing.

Prentiss grinned and saluted Aaron. "Yes Sir."

Spencer and Derek loaded the intoxicated women into the SUV before heading toward Penelope's house. Once they arrived, Derek and Spencer thanked whoever was listening that Pen didn't live upstairs. They helped the women into bed, or onto the couch as was the couch for Emily. They set out glasses of water and some ibuprofen.

Finally, they could go home. At the house, Spencer grabbed his husband's hand and pulled him toward the stairs, dead set on sleeping. Derek just chuckled and followed. Reaching the bedroom, both men stripped down to their boxers before climbing into the bed.

Spencer sighed as he laid his head on the pillow, feeling Derek's warm body curl around him. He really was exhausted.

Derek's hand rubbed his stomach before his fingers began drawing patterns on Spencer's hip. His hand crept lower and Spencer's eyes popped open. "Derek, if you put your hand down my pants, I swear to god, you're sleeping on the couch."

Derek gave a throaty chuckle and pressed a kiss to the side of the younger man's neck. "Fine, but tomorrow, you're gonna get it."

Spencer huffed. "Shut up and sleep."

"Yes ma'am."

Derek's hands were shaking and Spencer's heart was racing so fast that, under any other circumstances, he would probably be concerned. But it was to be expected, after all. They were probably about to meet the child that would become theirs.

Upon entering the building, the men were directed to the room where they would meet with the children. Ms. Nelson was already waiting for them. "Hello gentlemen."

"Hello Ma'am." Derek replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine. How are you two?"

Spencer looked at Derek and grinned. "Excited. And nervous."

She smiled. "That's very common in prospective parents. Would you like to sit?" She gestured to the small table with small chairs, obviously made for children. Spencer couldn't help the snicker that came out at the sight of his large husband in the chair, which looked tiny in comparison.

"So you would like to meet with Jamie and Bennett, correct?" They nodded. "I'll bring Jamie in first. One thing though..." She hesitated. "In the past few months, he's been having some behavior issues. He's been very angry and has been lashing out, and we can't figure out why. The other children are wary of being around him." She looked at them. "Would you still like to meet with him?"

They nodded. "Yes. If it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll bring him in then."

The couple sat in silence as they waited for the young boy. A minute later, the door opened and a small child entered, followed by Ms. Nelson, who simply gave them a frown before closing the door.

They watched as the child walked right by them, straight to a shelf where he grabbed a box containing Hot Wheels. He sat on the floor next to the table and began rolling he small cars back and forth.

After a moment, he asked, "You guys are married?"

Derek glanced at Spence and nodded, saying, "Yeah."

The boy pulled a face, but didn't say anything for a few seconds. When he did, he said, "My mom said that's bad. She said you'll go to the bad place."

From his file, they'd learned that Gabriel's mother had been a cocaine addict who was constantly entertaining her 'boyfriends' with Gabriel in the next room.

Spencer spoke up. "I don't think that's true. It's not a bad thing."

The boy shrugged. "I think it's gross."

Thankfully, it seemed as though Ms. Nelson had been waiting outside the door, and had heard the conversation. She entered, obviously hearing what the child had said. "Hey, Gabe. Ms. Jenny's here."

The boy stood up and walked out the door without looking back. Ms. Nelson closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea he'd say something like that."

Derek offered a small smile. "It's not your fault."

She smiled back. "I know. I still feel bad, though. Anyway, would you like to meet Bennett now?"

Spencer nodded. "Yes please."

She nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

As soon as she left the room, Spencer turned to Derek and laid his head on the man's shoulder. Derek put his arm around Spencer and pressed a kiss to the Sid of the younger man's head. Neither spoke, simply waiting for the door to open. And when it did, Ms. Nelson walked in, holding the hand of a small boy with dark hair.

"Bennett? This is Derek, and this is Spencer." The child looked up and gave the couple a shy smile.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi Bennett," Spencer said. "How are you?"

"Good. Can we play with the blocks?"

"Of course." He grabbed the box of wooden blocks and watched as the boy sat down on the floor. He pulled out a handful of them and began to stack them.

"Do you mind if we sit with you?" Derek asked.

The boy shook his head, so they sat down across from him. He passed them each some blocks and they worked together to build a tower.

"So Bennett, do you like to read?" Spencer knew that he did, and he was hoping that by talking about something the boy liked, he would feel more relaxed.

"Yeah."

"What's your favorite book?"

He shrugged. "I like Dr. Seuss."

Derek grinned. "Me too. My favorite is 'Are You My Mother?'. What's yours?" He winked at Spencer as the young boy thought for a few moments.

Finally, he said, "The Butter Battle."

Spencer thought that was a very interesting choice, but chose not to comment. Instead he said, "I like that book too. What else do you like to do?"

"I like movies. And Dragon Tales."

Derek smiled. "That's a good one. My nieces and nephews like to watch that."

"I like doggies too."

"We have a dog. His name's Clooney."

The boys eyes widened. "Really?" Derek nodded. "That's cool. I wanted a dog but Ms. Sarah doesn't like dogs so I can't have one." He seemed so sad that it made the men want to hug him.

Bennett focused on stacking his blocks so they wouldn't topple over. They were silent as they played with the building blocks. A couple minutes later, the door opened. "Bennett? It's time to go back to Ms. Sarah."

The young boy frowned, but stood up and walked over to Derek and Spence as they stood as well. He surprised them by quickly hugging their legs.

"Bye Bennett," Derek said.

He waved to them both and walked out the door. While Ms. Nelson was gone, they used the opportunity to talk. They both were thinking the same thing.

When she returned, she said, "So? What are you thinking?"

Spencer glanced at his husband before smiling at the woman. "We'd like like to proceed with the adoption of Bennett."

* * *

A/N: I'd like to make a shoutout to thorpek for being the first to comment on this story! :) As a thank you, I decided to go ahead and post the third chapter. Please let me know what you guys think of the story so far!


	4. Chapter 4

After making their decision, the pair of men followed Clara back to her office. They had to fill out a little bit of paperwork before Clara told them what would happen next.

"At a later time, preferably next weekend, you two will need to meet with Bennett again and ask him if he would like to be adopted by you two." She smiled. "Assuming he says yes, you guys will be able to take him for weekends, starting the weekend after next." She shuffled her folders around. "And your paperwork to file to foster him has been submitted."

Spencer grinned and squeezed his husband hand. "Thank you so much."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you two." She stood. Now if you don't mind, I must be going. I have to go meet with Bennett's foster mother."

The men stood up and shook her hand. After exchanging more thank yous and goodbyes, the happy couple was on their way out the door.

Once out the door of the office, they stood there, still trying to grasp what an important decision they'd just made.

"This is happening," Spencer said. "I can't believe it." He wrapped an arm around his husband's waist.

"I know, baby. But I think we made the right decision." He pressed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head as they made their way to the car.

"Me too." He smiled. "God, he's so cute. I don't understand how anybody could give something like that up."

"Some people just aren't meant to be parents, I guess. But here's to hoping that it'll all work out in the end."

That night, the men decided to stay home and relax. The day had been had quite exciting. The next day though, they went out for brunch with the rest of the team and their families.

At the large table, Spencer sat next to Derek with Henry on his other side, with Derek on the end. On the other side of Henry sat JJ and Will. Across from them were Rossi, Hotch, Jack, Prentiss, and Garcia, in that order.

The table was noisy with the large amoubt of people, the two children especially. Henry was busy telling Spence and Derek about all the cool things he'd done at the park the day before, while Jack was bragging about how he was ahead of his class in math.

Really though, everybody was anxious to hear about how their visit at the agency was. Finally, once everyone had their food and drink, Garcia asked, "Tell us! How did it go? Were they cute? I bet it was hard to choose."

Derek smiled at her and shook his head. "Not exactly. One of them had an isse with our... life choices," he said. He didn't want to say anything outright in front of the children present. The adults nodded understandingly.

"Did you make any definite decisions?" JJ asked.

Spencer smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we did. His name is Bennett."

"Aww, that's such a cute name. Is there a photo of the little guy?"

Derek nodded and pulled out his phone. He found the picture that he'd taken of Bennett's photo in the file and handed his cellphone to Penelope.

"Look at him. He's adorable."

Derek nodded. "He is."

"So what do you guys do now?" Hotch asked.

Spencer told them all about the next steps, and where they'd go from there.

Everybody seemed satisfied with that, and went back to their breakfast. At times like these, they were all able to enjoy having such a close family. It was nice to have people to lean on and to support you.

And ot was really apparent just how close-knit they were.

Especially when they noticed Garcia giving Prentiss a sly grin when she noticed how close the brunette was with little Jack, helping him with his food. He'd called her Emmy.

When they were all finished, and it was time for everyone to head home, they all exchanged hugs, as well as congratulations for Spencer and Derek.

On the way home, they made a quick stop at the grocery store for stuff for dinner, before finally heading home. They decided that today was another lazy day, considering that they could be headed anywhere the next day.

They lay on the couch, Derek spooned behind Spencer. They were watching a movie, content with the warm feeling of being near each other.

Derek tightened his arm around Spencer's waist and pressed a kiss to the younger man's ear, sighing happily, sending shivers through Spence.

"I love you so much," Derek said.

"I love you too Derek," the other man whispered.

The rest of the night passed quickly. They simply laid on the couch watching films, making out, and enjoying each other's company. It was quite nice.

They slept contentedly until the silence of early morning was broken by thw ringing of Spencer's phone.

"Hello?"

"We've got a case," JJ said without even a greeting. "Hotch said it's a bad one. We're wheels up in forty minutes."

Spencer sighed. "Okay. We'll see you guys there." He hung up and turned to wake his husband.

The day wasn't off to a very good start.

* * *

A/N: Okay so this is probably the shortest chapter ever. I wrote this during a bad bout of writer's block, so forgive me. The next one will probably be up tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

The case was a brutal one. It kept them in Ohio for six days. Saturday morning they finally arrested Jack Richardson and saved the little girl he had kidnapped Thursday night.

She was home, safe and sound, leaving the team feeling a bit better. The best cases were the ones where children were returned to their families.

The team retired to the hotel after eating lunch as they all wanted to be rested for their 5 o'clock a.m. flight.

Spence and Derek were in the elevator, heading to the fifth floor. Derek was kissing Spencer's neck and had his hand creeping closer to Spencer's butt.

The younger man laughed and said, "Derek, stop it. We're at work."

Derek sighed, but did as he was told. He stood patiently until they were in the hallway outside their door. He was crowding Spencer against the door, but not touching him.

It took a minute, but eventually the other man was able to unlock the door. As soon as they were in the room, the door was slammed shut and Spencer found himself shoved against the cool wood of the door. A surge of warmth gathered in his belly as Derek pressed his warm body against his.

Spencer grinned and cupped his hand around the back of Derek's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. The older man placed his hand on the back of Spence's head. He moaned in response, pressing his body closer and pulling on Derek's bottom lip with his teeth.

"The bed, Pretty Boy," Derek said.

Spencer nodded quickly and grabbed Derek's hand, pulling him to bed. Spencer laid down and pulled the other man on top of him.

"What happened to 'No, we're at work'?" Derek said, chuckling. He slid his hand under the other man's shirt.

"Shut up," Spencer said, cupping Derek through his jeans.

The older man moaned and pulled off Spencer's sweater vest and quickly unbuttoned Spencer's shirt. He threw it across the room.

Spencer returned the favor and rid Derek of his shirt as well. He grinned and leaned over, running his tongue over a dark nipple and gently biting down.

"Fuck," Derek cursed. He grabbed Spencer's wrists and held them down as he pressed open mouthed kisses to Spencer's chest, stopping to play with his nipples. Spencer moaned as Derek continued down his torso. His breath quickened as the other man's hands began to undo his belt and button, leaving him in his jeans that were quickly stripped off as well, leaving him in his boxers.

Spencer thought it unfair that Derek still wore his pants, so he reached down and unbuttoned them, pushing them down and off with his feet. Derek lowered his body onto Spencer's and ground down. Spencer groaned and placed his hand on Derek's ass, pulling Derek's hips tighter against his own.

Derek grinned against ground down a bit harder, enjoying how his husband closed his eyes in pleasure. He reached around and was about to slip his hand into the back of Spencer's boxers when there was a loud bang at the door.

"Hey guys. We're all gonna head out for dinner get your asses out here," JJ said.

Both of their eyes widened. Spencer cleared his throat and said, "We'll be out in a minute."

"You better. We'll be waiting in the lobby."

When they heard her footsteps fade away, Spencer groaned. "Oh god. That was awkward."

Derek didn't respond, instead he reached down and pushed down both of their boxers. He wrapped his hand around both of them and stoked quickly. Just a few minutes later, he was breathing faster as he felt his pleasure building. "Derek!" Spencer shouted as he came, Derek following behind a few seconds later.

"Oh my god," Spencer muttered. Derek just chuckled and kissed him.

"What do you say about food?"

"I'm starving, but I really don't want to get up right now."

"I know, but the sooner we eat, the sooner we can come back up here."

Spencer frowned, but got up and put on his clothes. "Asshole." The other man shook his head and chuckled and began to put his clothes on again.

Once they were presentable, they headed downstairs to the lobby. By the looks on their friend's faces, they knew exactly why they were late. As they walked out of the hotel, Hotch said, "How many times do I have to tell you guys? Not while we're on the job."

The others laughed and Spencer's simply blushed. "Come on Pretty Boy," Derek said. "Let's go eat."

By the time they got back home and ate some breakfast, it was mid-morning. Spencer had spoken to Clara the evening before and they were supposed to meet with Bennett at three o'clock, which gave them approximately six hours to stress out. They were sitting on the couch at home and relaxing- or at least trying to.

Spencer was reading a book with his feet propped up om the table. Derek had a book in his hand as well, but Spencer could tell that he wasn't really reading based on the fact that he hadn't turned the page in eleven minutes.

After he sighed for a fourth time, Spencer set down his book and leaned over, resting his head on the other man's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Spence reached down and pinched his thigh. "Ow! Damn it."

"I repeat. What's wrong?"

After a moment he said, "I guess I'm just a little anxious about today."

Spencer leaned up and kissed Derek softly. "I'm sure it'll go fine." He leaned his head back down on Derek's shoulder. "We just have to think positive. We've completed the home study, the hardest part which took months, and passed with flying colors. Hopefully today will go just as smoothly."

Derek nodded. "You're right. As usual."

"Of course I am," the younger man said and picked up his book second book of the day, picking up where he'd left off. Derek chuckled at that and pressed a kiss to the top of Spence's head, grabbing his own book.

They passed the next few hours like that, in comfortable peace before deciding to head out for lunch to take their minds off of things. They chose their favorite Chinese food restaurant and headed over. Derek ordered chow mein and sweet and sour pork while Spencer requested fried rice and orange chicken. When their food arrived, Derek snickered when Spencer picked up a fork instead of chopsticks. He'd known Spencer a long time, but he still though it funny that the man was incapable of using chopsticks.

Spencer scowled when he heard his husband laugh. "Shut up." He took a bite. "Did you know that worldwide, only about thirty percent of people use chopsticks correctly?"

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Really. Interesting."

"It really is." He went on to tell Derek about how use them properly. "A lot of people tend to hold them toward the middle, but you're supposed to hold them two-thirds of the way up, actually." This conversation lasted ten minutes.

Derek let him ramble on partly because he thought it was cute, and partly because he knew that this was Spencer's way of showing that he was just as nervous about the meeting today.

Once they had finished their food, Derek said, "We should probably get over to there. Spencer nodded. They paid their bill and got going. Once they arrived, they were once again led to the room with the toys and tiny chairs. Clara smiled. "Are you guys excited?"

Derek grinned. "That's one way to put it."

She laughed. "Yes, I suppose. And once again. You two are absolutely sure about your decision?" They both nodded. This was exactly what they wanted. "Okay then. Any last minute questions?" They shook their heads. "Great, then I'l go get Bennett."

She left and the two men stood anxiously, knowing that their lives might change drastically within the next few minutes. They didn't relax until the door opened and they saw Clara holding Bennett's hand. He saw them and rushed over. HE hugged them, which chocked the two men. "Derek! 'Pencer!"

Spencer smiled. "Hi Bennett. How are you?"

"Good. I got a new book yesterday."

"Oh yeah?" Derek said. "Which book?"

The little boy smiled. "Are You My Mother. It's your favorite right?" he said, looking at Derek."

Elated that the boy had remembered that small fact, he smiled brightly. "It sure is. have you read it?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I read it yesterday." He walked over to the shelf of toys and once again pulled out the blocks. "CAn you guys play with me?" he asked looking up at them. Spencer nodded and they sat down.

"What do you want to make?"

He though for a few moments. "A castle?"

"Okay. Castles are cool."

"The building of castles originated around the ninth century, over eleven hundred years ago, you know."

Bennett's eyes widened. "Wow." He began constructing his own castle. The two men helped to make sure it didn't topple over. They were wondering when the best time was to broach the subject of their adoption. Finally, Spencer nodded at Derek to start talking.

He cleared his throat "Hey Bennett?" The little boy hummed as he continued to play with the blocks. "We have something that we want to ask you," he said.

Bennett looked at them quizzically. "What?"

"We were wondering if maybe... if you'd..."

Spencer spoke up. "We were wondering if you wanted to come live with us."

The boy set down his toy and tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Derek glanced at his husband, then back at Bennett. "We want to adopt you."

Bennett frowned and looked down at the ground. "How long would I live with you guys?"

"Forever," Spencer answered. "As long as you want." He reached over and grabbed Derek's hand as they waited for his answer, silently hoping it wasn't negative.

They needn't have worried. The boy's eyes widened and he smiled. "Really?!" They nodded. "Yay. I want to live with you guys."

The men felt themselves tear up as they reached over and pulled the child in for a hug. After a few long moments, Bennett said, "You guys are squishing me."

They laughed through their tears and released him, but still held onto each other. "We're sorry," Derek said. "We're just really happy."

Bennett nodded. "When can I come live with you guys?" He seemed excited by the idea.

"Well, starting next weekend, you can come stay the weekends at our house. After about a month or so, you can stay permanently," Spencer said.

"Cool!"

"Yep," Derek agreed. "Hey, what's your favorite color?"

"I like light green," Bennett answered. Derek filed that information away for later. They all three looked up as the door opened and Ms. Nelson walked in.

Knowing it was time to go, Bennett frowned and hugged the two men. "Bye," he said.

"Bye," Spencer said, and Derek as well. "We'll see you next weekend alright?"

The child nodded and waved as he left. The couple embraced, feeling overwhelmingly joyful.

After talking with Clara and filling out the necessary paperwork, they were ready to go home and prepare. Once in the car though, Derek pulled out his phone and dialed Penelope. "Hello, oh my god, how did things go?" she asked excitedly.

He grinned. "We got him."


End file.
